Hey!
I'm thinking about painting my shells on a project (yes, its cheap...and currently has a wrap) kit. Buddy owns a paint shop so I just have to buy the paint and have the tools ;)
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My big question is, while I'm doing this I'm thinking about making my bass's (is that right?) virgins, but does anyone know what's best to fill in the holes, or something of the sort?

Also, any confirmed finishes to make the paint glossy? Just an auto paint gloss?

Thanks!

If your buddy owns a paint shop, he can probably adivse you. The challenges I see:

I assume you are removing the wrap. You don't know what kind of can of worms that will open up. If the wrap is fully glued, that will be a job. If its only spot glued, you're in better shape. Remove the wrap carefully. You want to avoid chippng the shells. I would fill in small holes with wood filler. You most likely will need to sand the shells prior to painting, after you've filled in imperfections. Use gradually finer grades of sandpaper.

Your buddy will probably recommend using a couple of coates of primer as a base. I believe you could use any automotive lacquer paint to get a glossy finish. He probably has some metallic paints that would look very nice on a kit. You can also have a coat of clear applied as a final coat, for higher gloss.

As far as making your bass drum a virgin, the holes that would be created by removing a tom mount could be pretty large. You'd probably not want to fill that in with wood filler. If you could have someone fabricate a plate for you to mount in place of the tom mount, that might be the thing to do. Here's a thread on the topic of plates for Yamaha kick drums: